Journal-box.



PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907;

S. I H. CAMPBELL.

JOURNAL BOX.

APPLICATION rum) NOV. 13, 1905.

2 SBEETS-SHEET 1.

' FIEE.

WIT/(5555 fl: nomws PETERS ca., WASHINGTON, D. c.

No. 857,597. I PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

' S. H. CAMPBELL;

JOURNAL BOX.

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr NOV.13,1905.

ATV

STERLING H. CAMPBELL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

JOURNAL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed November 13,1905. Serial No. 287,120.

To all whom, it warty concern.-

Be it known that I, STERLING H. CAMP- BELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in JournalBoxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the present state of the art, railway car axle bearings comprise as essential elements, the box, or casing, the brass orbearing member and the wedge which is inter posed between the brass and the top of the box, positioning the former and distributing the load thereto. The life of the box and the wedge is usually that of the truck seldom needing to be replaced, but the brasses must be frequently renewed and at various places along the route, at times, far removed from the point of original construction. It is therefore highly desirable, if not essential, that in the construction of these parts, cer tain standards be conformed to, so that a worn-out brass may be replaced by one of another make.

It is the object of the present invention to improve the construction of the bearing and to reduce the cost of brasses, while at the same time conforming to such standards as will permit of replacing the brasses by any of the constructions in common use. To this end, the invention consists, first, in the pe-.

culiar construction of a wedge and, second, in the peculiar construction of a brass as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section through my improved bearing; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, illustrating the wedge and upper portion of the box in plan; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the brass and wedge of my improved construction, the box being omitted; Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating a modified construction of brass and wedge; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the wedge in co-operation with a standard construction of brass which is largely used at the present time; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of my improved construction of brass; and Fig. 7 is a cross section through the journal and brass.

A is the car axle journal, B the box, C the brass and D the wedge. In the standard construction of these parts as adopted by the box.

Master Car Builders Association, the top of the box is provided on its under side with a plain fiat bearing face at extending substantially the entire length of the wedge, which latter has its upper face on the arc of the circle, permitting a rocking movement of the box thereon. Endwise movement of the wedge in an outward direction is prevented by depending lugs 19 at the opposite sides of the top of the box and endwise movement in the opposite direction is prevented through the co-operation of the brass, which is provided with laterally-extending lugs 0 bearing against laterally-projecting lugs d on the The wedge and brass are held from relative endwise movement by a flange e at the inner end of the brass, overlapping the corresponding end of the wedge and both wedge and brass are held from rotary movement about the axle by projecting lugs or flanges f, which extend adjacent to the inner face h of the lugs d on the box.

One of the defects of the standard construction above described is that the difference between the raised center and ends of the wedge, due to the curved form, is not suflicient to permit as great an angular adjustment as is frequently necessary. As a consequence, a greater change in angularity of the box will shift the point of application of the load to the extreme end of the brass and will even permit the opposite end of the brass to tip up out of contact with the journal. With my improved construction, I provide a greater range of adjustment in angularity of the box and also maintain the point of application of the load at the center of the wedge during adjustment. For this purpose, a bearing E is formed at the center of the wedge which is of limited extent longitudinally thereof as shown in Fig. 4 and the opposite ends of the wedge are cut away to be sufficiently below the plane of this central portion to provide the needed space for adjustment; furthermore, intermediate the ends F, F of the wedge, the upper surface thereof is further cut away at G so that even when the angularity of the box is sufiicient to contact with one or the other of the ends, there will still be contact between the box and the central portion E which will distribute a portion of the load to this point.

In the standard construction previously referred to, the depending lugs b which form the end stops for the outer end of the wedge, are of limited height. Thus, with the modifled construction just described, the amount of angular adjustment permitted is suflicient to entirely disengage the outer end of the wedge from said lugs. Such a result is prevented by providing an upwardly-projecting lug II at the end of the wedge which furnishes additional bearing surface for contacting with the lugs b, when the outer end of the box is tilted upward. A tilting of the opposite end of the box is also permitted by reason of the fact that the standard construction of box is provided with a groove 2' adjacent to the lug b, and the lug II is limited in size so that it will enter this groove. A further function that is performed by the lug H in co-operationwith the groove t is to prevent inward endwise displacement of the wedge when the box is tilted.

As is well understood, the cost of the metal in the brass is very much greater than that used in the construction of the wedge and box (usually cast iron). Thus, any part of the brass other than that needed for the actual bearing (for which the expensive metal alone is suitable), adds to the cost of construction. In the standard construction above described, the brasses are provided with several parts which add to the weight without increasing the amount of wearing metal. Thus, there is the end flange e and also the laterally-projecting lugs c which cooperate with the lugs d on the box for preventing endwise movement. With my improved construction, I considerably cut down the weight of the brass by dispensing with these parts and replacing them by parts of the wedge which perform the same function. At the same time, the adaptability of the wedge to the standard construction of brass is maintained.

In place of the end flange e, one or more upwardly-projecting lugs I are formed on the brass and which engage with shoulders on the wedge which prevent a relative endwise movement.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3, two upwardly-extending lugs I, I, are formed at the side of the brass C which engage with opposite faces J, J, on the wedge, these be in formed by cutting away portions of the si es of said wedge. In the construction shown in Fig. 4, a single upwardly-projecting lug I on the brass C extends into a notch J in the wedge D and between opposite faces or shoulders J J, thereon. Each of these constructions is adapted not only to prevent inward movement of the wedge or outward movement of the brass, as is accomplished by the flange e of the standard construction, but further to anchor the wedge from movement in either direction. These co-operatin lugs will dispense with the necessity of the Iaterally-projecting lugs c on the brass C of the standard construction. A very considerable saving in weight of brass is effected by dis pensing with these side lugs 0, even where two upwardly-projecting lugs I, I, are used, but a still further saving is effected where these two lugs are replaced by one.

A further saving in the weight of brass is produced by limitlng the are of the bearing surface to one subtended by an angle of ninety degrees. Practice has demonstrated that an arc of this length has practically equal sustaining capability to that of alarger arc and, I reduce the weight by this construction.

WVhile the construction above described is designed primarily to reduce the weight and consequently the cost of the brasses and thus dispenses with certain portions of the brasses of standard constructions, it does not involve the omission of any part of the wedge, which performs afunction in standard constructions. Furthermore, no change is necessary in the standard construction of box to adapt it for the use of my improved wedge and brass. For example, if a worn brass of my improved construction such as C or C is replaced by a brass O of the Master Car Builders, this will co-operate with my modified construction of wedge in precisely'the same way as with the standard construction of wedge. In fact the only changes in the wedge thus far described are produced by cutting away an unnecessary part of the side flanges, so as to produce either the single or double depending lugs for interlocking with the upwardly-projecting lug or lugs on the brass. In addition to this, I further modify the wedge by providing on the side flanges thereof a laterally-projecting lug K which bears against the shoulder on the lug (Z of the box in a similar manner to the enga ement of the lug c on the brass of the stan ard construction. Thus, the lug K holds the wedge from inward endwise movement, while the outer ends of the wedge bearing against the lug b at the top of the box prevent endwise movement in the opposite direction. Consequently the wedge will be securely anchored and its interlocking engagement with the brass will hold the latter from endwise movement. This addition of the lug K to the wedge does not however interfere with its use on the standard construction of brass.

The two constructionsof my improved brasses above described are also interchangeable with each other either one being adapted to co-operate with the construction of wedge described. Thus, the notch J 2 in the wedge for receiving the single lug on the brass is so positioned that the uncut portion of one side thereof bearing the shoulder J forms a depending lug corresponding to the single lug J on the other. form of wedge and this lug is so positioned as to fit between the two lugs I, I on the other construction of IIO brass. Furthermore, beyond the lug J, the flange of the wedge is cut away at J, so as to permit the use of the wedge with certain constructions of brass heretofore made and in use, in which there is an upwardly-projecting portion at this point.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A car axle journal bearing comprising a box having the herein-described standard construction of top, a brass and a wedge having a plane central bearing of limited extent forming a rocker bearing in contact with the fiat top of the box, the portion of the wedge between said rocker bearing and the end being cut away to permit of angular adjustment without contact with the box.

2. In a car axle journal bearing, a wedge having a straight plane surface on the central portion of its lower side for co-operation with the herein-described standard construction of brass, and a brass having a single plane top and having an interlocking engagement with said wedge at the side thereof,

limiting relative endwise movement thereof in either direction.

3. In a car axle journal bearing, a wedge adapted for cooperation with the herein-described standard construction of brass, and a brass having a plane top extending substantially its whole length, and having an interlocking engagement with said wedge at the side thereof, limiting relative endwise movement in either direction.

4. In a car axle journal bearing, a brass having an upwardly projecting lug at the side thereof and a wedge having a side flange thereof cut away to interlock with said lug and to limit relative endwise movement in either direction.

5. In a car axle bearing, the combination with a standard box and a wedge, of a brass having a plain horizontal face for bearing against said wedge, there being interlocking lugs at the side of said brass and wedge for limiting relative endwise movement in either direction.

6. In a car axle bearing, a Wedge having the side flange thereof cut away at two points to form two shoulders facing in the same direction and one shoulder facing in the opposite direction adapted for interlocking engagement with either a single or bifurcated upwardly-projecting lug on the brass and limiting relative endwise movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STERLING H. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

JAMEs P. BARRY, EDWARD A. AULT. 

